Spherical expansible chamber rotary motor or pump of the axially moving sliding vane type



March 15, 1949 1E 2,464,736

SPHER CAL EXPANSIBLE OTARY MOTOR OR PUMP A WALD CHAMBER R OF THE AXIALLY MOVING SLI Original Filed Dec. 18, 1941 DING VANE TYPE 2 Sheets-Sheet l II I .v mmw 2% INVENTOR 620m: A.WALDIE M v ATTORNEYS ARY MOTOR OR PUMP NG VfANE TYPE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 SPHER L EXPANSI c B THE AXIALLY MO G Original Filed Dec. 18, 1941 March 15, 1-949. A. WALDIE v llllllll I INVENTOR M GEORGE A. w4L0|E W AW ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 15, 1949 -IBLE CHAMBER ROTARY MO-TQB, .O RlP-UMBAOF 'DHRAXIALLYI MOV- INGSLIDINGyANE TXRE.

George A. Wald-ic IEdisom- 0hio,.l assignor to H+P=M 1Development Corporation, .a-l corpora,-

tion, of 3-D.elawaite v Original. application December, 18', 1941, Serial No.

423,486 now,Patentgblo. 2380;886; dated July, 31, 1945. Divided and this" application April 28, 1943; Serial "No; 4845809 The present invention-relatesqto pumps,: and: more particularly tohigh v-pressures.oil .:pumps:.. This application is a "divisionlotgmy-vprior applia. cation, Serial No. 423,486,?filedjDecember18;:194 1, which issued as Patent No. 2,38.0,8,86, ;".July-.l31; 1945, and entitledFBalanced ball:type.vane-pump.-- or motor.

A real need exists, ina. numberottimportante uses, for a light-weight; fastemovingu oil pump of smaller size and which-can-handlewrelativelyz large amounts of fiuide-at fairly" high pressurer to perform work or to exercise a control-' func -l tion of a positive character. For -example,-in= the cas of airplanes, it may be desirable-to-move the control surfaces-of =the -wing -andl=tail by hydraulic pressure produced by a--pump;- In the" case of a pump,-therpressure is instantaneouslw available for fast-controhr whereas-inthe-case" of control exercised by--an-electric motor' the energy of the motor is not'availableuntil the motor shall have-come -up to speede- The-main e disadvantage of the-prior-art pumps,.:- hen--used-- in this particular connection, is -the-weightandbulk of the pump, particularly when the pump must handle large quantities of"apressure fluid to exercise a considerablenumber::-of-=con-trek. functions, perhaps simultaneously The primary object of :the present =invention-- is to provide a pump-which canhandle-darge quantities of fluid at high pressure-, sucha-asroilp the:r0.tor shaftrtozchange the suction and presz-l sureactionofthe various parts ofthe rotor anda thustorcversethedirection of fluid delivery.

Thewinvention' will a be better understood Iwhem theiollowingspecification is read-in connection:

in:lFigurez2,':i.,l el, withnthe right-hand 'boltedi and yet is .of camparatively: smallllsizew From-z one aspect, therefore, I theinventioncontemplates apressure pum which has,v .a =high' volumetric fluid capacity, as comparednto itslsizec- Another object isn to provide,;a lpump oi-lthis character, in which-the prime mover which actual, ates the pump (usually an :engineLon-an electric: motor) will rotate-in the samedirection:,:;=but:i delivery at, the pump can be, reversedewithout;

the use of reversingvalvessol that. :the.:reversal.; 40,4

of .fiow is accomplished withinlthe.;pump.-.l

A further object -.is to vprovide a ;.pump :evhichv may be "made of relatively, few par-ts easily-mam chined,; and of light, weight :when; idesired and:

which can be readily-assembled;andsdisassemec 4 covermember ,ofwFigure 2' removed to expose:-the wormeandrgeanwheel mechanism. InFigure 4 the hand wheel which operates the worm gear:

is shown inuelevation.

Figure-5pm saeperspective view of the rotor, showing thelmovabilityiof the blades withrespect to the ,rotor disc or web.

Figurez-G: is .an enlarged fragmentary vertical, sectional -iview; taken-through the pump casing i and disclosing the relationship between the pumping zzcham-ber and "its communicating pas-z sages.

Thedrawings show a reversiblepump in which thezactuating :motor or prime mover is p-ermitted to run in the same direction and 'yetlprovide for arreversalof: delivery; Ingeneral, the constructiQl'1 ;Z- iS, gsuch that the qchamber which. has beenir. momentarilynexerting. a pressure effect when-l the rotonaisnturnedand the pumping. chamber extends at. a definite angle with respect to the .rotor': shaft-'now becomes an exhaust or suction chami-z- ,ber when,;the.pumping chamber extends at'anu' oppositelangle withrespect .to the shaft. For/ this'ipurpose; the pump, casing .is: permitted: to:-

rotate inlzthelhorizontal plane:

Describing this modification; specifically, the. rotor; l9 .and its shaft -2 arejournalledlin the: ball;v bearings .;36, carrie,dongapair of pedestals- 31,. Thel'pumpzcasing is ,constructedof a:num'-:- benqof blocks" all: bolted together; and :provision; is -made for rrotating; the :casing about a.hori:-; zontal axis and to provideanrimproved :port arrangementv -by which the pump casing can-be Construction of the rotor The rotor: formsca continuation of th main;- driying;; shaftg-2 and .takes, :on aispherica'l" CODE-:7 L

laterally from opposite sides of the rotor, the left-hand hub (Figure 1) merging with the shaft 2 and the right-hand hub terminating in a shaft portion 2|. The blocks 6| and 62 are provided with openings which loosely receive the hubs 20.

The blocks 6| and 62 are provided with recesses of a partial spherical shape to conform to the shape of the spherical rotor and to permit the rotor to rotate between the blocks when the motor (not shown) is energized. The central or spherical portion of the rotor is provided with a radially extending and vertically directed web 30 which extends around the sphere l9 as an annular ring, and preferably is formed integral with the sphere. may be formed of any hard wearing material, such as metal or certain types of plastics, and

in case weight is an important consideration the metal may be a magnesium or aluminum alloy. It will be noted from Figure 1 that the size and position of the pumping chamber |D and the positional relationship of the annular web 30 are such that the outermost peripheral edges on opposite sides of the web 30 coincide with the joint formed between each arcuate shaped surface H and the surfaces 6 and 9 of the two blocks.

The annular ring 30 is provided with a plurality of radially extending slots 3| (six as shown) and illustrated more clearly in Figure 5, these slots extending inwardly as far as the peripheral surface l9. These slots snugly but slidably receive the vanes or blades 32, these blades being formed of a tough, long-wearing material and are preferably machined on all sides. It will be noted that the height of each blade is considerably greater than the vertical depth (Figure 5) of the ring 30. The blades may take the form'generally of a trapezoid or rectangle, but their inner edges are curved both in the vertical and horizontal directions to conform with the sphericalshape of the element [9. The outer vertical edges are curved in the Vertical and horizontal directions to conform to the arcuate shape of the surface (Figure 1) and also to the circular configuration of the chamber H]. The top and bottom edges of each blade are also given a convex curvature to accommodate the blade to the tapered surfaces 8, 9 as the rotor is rotated.

The casing is provided at its right-hand end, as seen in Figure 2, with a multi-shouldered shaft 38 which is threaded at one end to receive a thumb nut 39. This nut may be secured to the conduit 40 through any suitable and well known form of slip joint to permit the pump casing to swing with respect to the conduit. A worm gear 4| is fixedly secured to the shaft by a nut 42, this worm gear being spaced from the pump casing by a bearing bushing 43. The latter is journalled in a plate 44, provided with a flanged leg 45. 41 to the plate 44, this cover plate leaving exposed only a portion of the worm gear 4|. A screw 48 carried on a rod 49 is adapted to mesh with the worm gear 4| when the rod is rotated The web and sphere A cover plate 46 is bolted as atgear 4|, which is rigidly fixed to the shaft 38, will cause the pump casing to be rotated around a horizontal axis which extends through the journals 43, 52. In order to provide for the inlet and outlet ports which communicate with the pressure and suction chambers on opposite sides of the rotor through arcuate slots I2, l3, holes 56 are drilled in line with the openings in the conduits 40, 55 and therefore along the axis of rotation. These openings communicate with openings 51 which extend outwardly and communicate with the horizontal openings 58. The latter are connected to the slots |2, |3 by the passageways I8 (Figure 2). These passageways do not run parallel with the tapered surfaces 63 but instead extend first downwardly into the metal of the blocks 6|, 62 from the ports 58 and then upwardly to reach the slots i2, i3 as is indicated in Figure 6.

In order to facilitate the formation of the holes 51, 58, these may be drilled from the side and outer surfaces of the pump casing and the excess length of the openings tapped and filled by a set screw 59. Consequently, as the hand wheel 50 is rotated to move the pump casing from one side of the vertical axis to the other side, the pumping cavities of the chambers on both sides of the rotor web undergo reversals of function. The pressure cavities will exert a suction effect and the suction cavities will exert a pressure effect so that the passage of fluid through the pump is completely reversed, notwithstanding the fact that the shaft 2 continues to rotate in the same direction.

It is apparent from a consideration of Figure 1 that only a small rotary movement of the pump is necessary to reverse the pressure andsuction effects of the pumping cavities formed between the vanes 32 and the casing blocks 6|, 62. In order that the pump casing may swing in the longitudinal direction with respect to the rotor shaft, the intermediate block 60 is given substantially parallel sides, and the block 6|, B2 are also given a corresponding shape. Actually, only the abutting surfaces of the blocks 6|, 62 are arranged parallel because the sides of the pumping chamber directly adjacent the rotor web are given inwardly extending flared portions, as indicated at 63. These portions serve to lengthen the distance indicated at 64 over which leakage would have to take place between the blocks 6|, 62 and the peripheral surface of the sphere IS. The pump casing in Figure 1 is always positioned at an angle with respect to the rotor shaft.

When the pump casing, for example, is canted to the left, as shown in Figure v1, let us assume that the position of the ports and of the interconnected pair of slots I2, I 3 on opposite sides of the rotor and the remaining interconnected pair of slots I2, I3 is such that the pump delivers pressure fluid at the conduit 46. However, when the pump casing is givena cant to the right by the wheel 50, pressure fluid will now be delivered at the conduit 55, assuming that the shaft 2 is being rotated in the same direction as before. Consequently, the hand wheel 50 serves as a means for reversing the flow of delivery of the pump. This arrangement may be advantageous in those cases where an electric motor is designed to operate more efiiciently in one direction than in the other, and also to save the cost of a reversing switch in the motor circuit. It is further appar-- out that inasmuch as the motor never stops during the reversal of the fluid delivery, the flow of the fluid is available immediately This would 5,. not be true in case the electric rnotor were reve'iseaytcsuse a 'd'efinite t'ir'h f'wfould -elapse to st' he 'ihb'torand then" to start "the motor in the reyers'direcuen, and during this" time'the piifiip would not bedeliveringfiuid at'its prede teimineu'pressure;

"fl 'I-hewheel tll-may also be employed to swing the pump'cas'ing" through any" angle, in either dimulch-, success than its 'fullliiriit of movement iri'bfdertoyarythe output of the pump in either direction. "The sw'ingable form offpump shown; gu're- 1 is anoacameu tordck'toits-neutral or -no-delivery position when; for example, the batik-pressure at the outlet becomes excessive, or

if'f'asa-s'afety measure it is desired the'di'scharge offltlfepump shallfcease; It will be noted in'Fig-" are 4-that the'gear 41 and worm 48 transmit powenonlydmone' direction, so that when the punip has been given any'desired c'ant by the wheel it will maintain this position and will produce a constantoutput of-pr'essure-fluid in any de's'i-red amount until the wheel 50 has been fur providedbetween the control wheel 5d andthe pump swin'gingmechanism. The back pressure within the pump would' then tend to swing the pump'oasing t'o such a'position'as'to relieve the excessive back pressure, and if necessary would Inove'thecasin'g all the Way to its neutral or nodelivery:positionf'In Figure 1 the no-delivery position would cause the *casing to move into a vertical plane, in' whichposition the volumes of thefpumping and suction compartments on the same'side of the rotor buton opposite'sides of the" shaftw'ould be equal, and the fluid would merelypump producing no new" as eddies within the pressure at the outlet;

'--'*I'ri"Figur'e' 4 there is shown a mechanism by which the pump casing can be automatically moved to its neutral or no-delivery position" with out} sacrificing'the non-reversible character of the mechanical connection between the control wheel' 50' an'd the ump swinging"mechanisjm.' Refere'fi'e numeral- 65 designates anysuitable and well.

known form of devicewhichresponds to any type of "impulse; pneumatic,- electrical or mechanical,

asforexar'nple, when'the back pressure developed: at the'pump becomes excessive or when the device 65" is a'ctuatedb'y the platen of sp ees supplied with" fluid from the pump. Under, the conditions of' e'x'ce'ssive back pressure, or when'the platen has reached a predetermined position, the device 6 5='rnaybeactuated-in any suitable manner to move-a rack 66- and thus to rotate the worm 48. In other words,"'the'gear 4|, shown in Figure 4, may bej operated either manually at the wheel 50 6i automatically in responseto any desired form 'of impUIseoperating'on the device 65. This device mayeven be a timeoperated relay which wou'ld'serv'eto cut on the pump atany given predetermined" time ofthe day or night, and vice versaw 'The device 65 may also be employed to start the pump in'oneor the 'o th'er'direction, as may be 'desired'at any predetermined time.

"Ffdmthe fore'goirig it is 'i lidntthal', Ihave dis:-

close d"-'apuinpwhich operates'fon "an entirelyqinerem principle from that 1 heretofore 'einy In such'case a reversible form of l e l in ati s hens -iq er comm t o e sure efiect and vice 'versa' is'frapi d'ly effected v the transverse movementofthe vanes or bla'desj 32, which are constrained' to make sucha movement by the'taperedcontour of the pu'rnp'chamgb'er. In the reversinglform oi pump as shown in Figures 1 to 4, this taper maybe changed'iromf one side to the other by merely rotating the pump: casing about a lateral axis with respect to the"; rotor, thus simultaneously reversing 'theaction; ofall of the spaces contained between the blades", ofthe rotor,

While I have described my inventionas per,- taining to a'relatively small pump, such for exfample as may be used for control purposes'in an airplane or other place where space is at a premium, it will be understood that the principles or thefinvention apply equally well to pumpsloji much larger size. In the case of large size pumps, for example those pumps which may be employed in" connection with hydraulic presses, it may feasible to mount the blades 32,011 roller bear? ings'ih order' to reduce friction in the slots "3!, but in general it is sulficient to provide merely a nicetyof fit between the blades and the slots 3 land to case harden, if desired, the sliding sur-j faces; In order to cut downweight it may bead; visable to cast the rotor I9 with ahollow interionj because obviously'the shell of the spherical portion need not be thick, due to the'self-supportinlgl action inherent in a'sphere.

It'will be understood that I desire to compre hend within myinvention such'modifications'as come within the scope of the claims.

' Having thus fully described my invention, what I cl'aimas new and desire to secure by Letters PmentiSZ. .r

l. A'fluid pump having a housing which forms a pumping chamber," a rotor shaft, a rotor; mounted on-said shaft within'said chamber, said chamber being of symmetricalcr'oss section and; the line of symmetryextending at an angle oth.- er'than normal with respect to the axis of the' sha it,"a plurality of pairs of vanes slidably re-i cei've'd by the rotor at equidistant positions there-i about and extending in the direction of the; shaft, inlet'and outlet conduits in communication" with opposite sides of the pumping chamber, each of'said conduits extending over a distance sub tended by at least three adjacent vanes and means for varyingthe angularity between the] ake'sof thepumping chamber and the rotor in order to vary the delivery of the pump.

' 2. A fluid pump having a housing which forms a pumping chamber, a rotor shaft, a rotor mounted on said shaft within said chamber, said f1 chamber being of symmetrical cross section and the line of symmetry extending at an angle other than normal with respect to the axis of theshaft, a pluralityof pairs of vanes slidably received by ther'otor at equidistant positions thereabout andextending in the direction of the shaft, inlet and outlet conduits in communication with opposite" sides of the pumping chamber, each of said coni duits extending'over'a distance subtended'by at, least three adjacent vanes, and means for mov ing the housing to a position such that the main axis of the pumping chamber is parallel to the axis of rotation of the'rotor whereby the delivery; of the pump becomes zero.

3. A fluid pump having a housing which forms a pumping chamber, a rotor shaft, a rotor; mounted on said shaft withinsaid chamber, the walls. of said chamber extending at an angle 0th er than normal with respect to the axisfof the,

shaft, a plurality of pairs of vanes slidably received by the rotor and arranged equidistantly thereabout, said vanes extending in the direction of the shaft, an inlet conduit effectively in communication with the suction side of the pump and an outlet conduit effectively in communica tion with the pressure side of the pump, and means for moving the housing between two posi-: tions in one of which the line of symmetry of the housing extends at a predetermined angle with respect to the axis of the shaft and in the other of which the line of symmetry of the housing extends at an opposite angle with respect to the axis of the shaft.

4. A fluid pump having a housing which forms a pumping chamber, a rotor shaft, a rotor mounted on said shaft within said chamber and adapted slidably to receive a plurality of vanes extending longitudinally of the shaft and equidistantly positioned about the rotor, the interior surface of said chamber having a configuration such that when the rotor is turned the vanes slide with respect to the rotor from one side of the chamber to the other side and independently of one another, and an inlet conduit communicating with the suction side of the pump and an outlet conduit communicating with the pressure side of the pump, a frame, said housing being pivotally mounted on said frame to permit the housing to to swing in a direction substantially transverse of the shaft axis to control the direction of flow and amount of discharge from the pump.

5. A fluid pump having a housing which forms a pumping chamber, a rotor shaft, a rotor mounted on said shaft within said chamber and adapted slidably to receive a plurality of vanes extending longitudinally of the shaft and equidistantly positioned about the rotor, the interior surface of said chamber having a configuration such that when the rotor is turned the vanes slide with respect to the rotor from one side of the chamber to the other side and independently of one another, and an inlet conduit communicating with the suction side of the pump and an outlet conduit communicating with the pressure side of the pump, a frame, said rotor extending between diagonal corners of the pumping chamber and said housing pivotally mounted on said frame to permit the housing to swing in a direction substantially transverse of the rotor axis to control Q the direction of flow and amount of discharge from the pump.

6. A fluid pump having a housing which forms a pumping chamber, a rotor shaft, a rotor mounted on said shaft within said chamber, said chamher having a symmetrical shape in cross-section and the line of symmetry extending at an angle other than normal with respect to the axis of the shaft, a plurality of pairs of vanes slidably received by the rotor, said vanes extending in the direction of the shaft and equidistantly positioned about the rotor, an inlet conduit effectively in communication with the suction side of the pump and an outlet conduit effectively in communication with the pressure side of the pump, the sliding movements of said vanes within the rotor being independent of one another and determined solely by the changing shape of the pumping chamber as the rotor is turned, the vertical center line of the rotor being displaced at an angle with respect to the main axis of the pumping chamber whereby the housing makes an angle with respect to the rotor shaft, and means extends through said shaft.

7. A fluid pump having a housing which forms a pumping chamber, a rotor shaft, a rotor mounted on said shaft within said chamber, said chamber having a symmetrical shape in crosssection and the line of symmetry extending at an angle other than normal with respect to the axis of the shaft, a plurality of pairs of vanes slidably received by the rotor, said vanes extending in the direction of the shaft and equidistantly positioned about the rotor, an inlet conduit effectively in communication with the suction side of the pump and an outlet conduit effectively in communication with the pressure side of the pump, the sliding movements of said vanes within the rotor being independent of one another and determined solely by the changing shape of the pumping chamber as the rotor is turned, the Vertical center line of the rotor being displaced at an angle with respect to the main axis of the pumping chamber whereby the housing makes an angle with respect to the rotor shaft, and means for rocking the housing about a lateral axis which extends through said shaft, said means comprising a manually controlled device.

8. A fluid pump having a housing which forms a pumping chamber, a rotor shaft, a rotor mounted on said shaft within said chamber, said chamber having a symmetrical shape in cross-section and the main axis of the chamber extending at an angle other than normal with respect to the axis of the rotor whereby a pumping compartment and a complementary suction compartment are formed on each side of the rotor, a plurality of vanes slidably received by the rotor, said vanes r extending in the direction of the shaft and equidistantly positioned about the rotor, a conduit effectively in communication with the suction side of the pump and a second conduit effectively in communication with the pressure side of the pump, the sliding movements of said vanes within the rotor being independent of one another and determined solel by the change in shape of the pumping'chamber as the rotor is turned, and

means for swinging said housing about a lateral axis which extends through the axis of the rotor to cause the pumping chamber to move as a whole with respect to the rotor whereby the pumping compartments on opposite sides of the rotor now become the suction compartments and the initial suction compartments become complementary pumping compartments in order to reverse the flow of fluid through the pump.

9. A fluid pump having a housing which forms a pumping chamber, a rotor shaft, a rotor mounted on said shaft within said chamber, said chamber being of symmetrical cross-section and the line of symmetry extending at an angle other than normal with respect to the axis of the shaft, a plurality of pairs of vanes slidably received by the rotor at equidistant positions thereabout and extending in the direction of the shaft, inlet and outlet conduits in communication with opposite 1 sides of the pumping chamber, each of said conduits extending over a distance subtended by at least three adjacent vanes, an actuator for turning said rotor, and means for swinging the housing about a lateral axis which extends through the main axis of said rotor whereby the output of the pump is reversed notwithstanding the uni-, directional movement of the rotor.

' 10. A fluid pump having a housing which forms a pumping chamber, a rotor shaft, a rotor mounted on said shaft within saidchamber and extending between diagonal corners of said chamber, the walls of said chamber extending at an angle other than normal with respect to the axis of the shaft, a plurality of pairs of vanes slidably received by the rotor and arranged equidistantly thereabout, said vanes extending in the direction of the shaft, an inlet conduit effectively in communication with the suction side of the pump and an outlet conduit effectively in communication with the pressure side of the pump, a frame, said housing being pivotally mounted on said frame to permit the housing to be rotated along an axis which extends laterally of said shaft, and means for moving the housing about said lateral axis to cause the rotor to extend between the opposite diagonal corners of said pumping chamber whereby the direction of fluid delivery is reversed.

11. In a fluid displacement device comprising a blade carrying element and a blade actuating element, said elements having opposed annular surf-aces forming between them a work chamber of progressively varying width, one of said elements being rotatable with relation to the other element, each portion of said surface of said blade actuating element being in a line extending through and inclined with relation to the axis of rotation of said rotatable element, and a blade slidably mounted in said blade carrying element for longitudinal movement into and out of said work chamber about an axis transverse to the 10 axis 'of rotation of said rotatable element and having constant engagement with said inclined surface of said blade actuating element for movement thereby.

GEORGE A. WALDIE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 13,930 Wright Dec. 11, 1855 1,089,441 Sauc'hereau Mar. 10, 1914 1,583,379 Whipple May 4, 1926 1,588,166 Caminez June 8, 1926 1,678,050 Kearney July 24, 1928 1,683,962 Crown Sept. 11, 1928 1,736,754 Thoma :et a1. Nov. 19, 1929 2,040,178 Kem'pthorne May 12, 1936 2,087,772 Kem-pthorne Jul 20, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 471,125 Germany Feb. 6, 1929 9,689 Great Britain Apr. 21, 1911 485,660 Great Britain May 24, 1938 45,379 Switzerland Oct. 29, 1908 

